Fayetteville gas station robbed at gunpoint

By JOHN MUNFORD
jmunford@TheCitizenNews.com

A manhunt Wednesday afternoon failed to turn up the suspect who robbed the Fayetteville Shell gas station at gunpoint.

The incident was reported around 2:15 p.m. and officers established a perimeter around the area to try and locate the suspect, said Fayetteville Police Lt. Beverly Trainor. The Fayette County Sheriff's Department also responded with its helicopter to aid in the search and its K-9 tracking team.

The suspect was described as a black male wearing a white T-shirt and black pants, Trainor said. He entered the store and "pulled a handgun and demanded money," Trainor said.

The suspect got away on foot with an undetermined amount of money, Trainor said. No one was injured during the incident, she added.

The Police Department's crime scene unit processed the store looking for any trace evidence that might help solve the crime, Trainor said.

Several schools in the area were locked down as police officers were on hand to make sure bus loading went smoothly, Trainor said. The schools remained on lockdown until police could determine the suspect had left the area.

This is Fayetteville's second armed robbery this week; a heist was reported Sunday night at the Kroger grocery store at Banks Crossing. In that robbery, a masked suspect produced a gun after entering the store and got away with an undetermined amount of money, police said.

A second suspect stayed outside to drive the getaway car, and they switched vehicles, leaving the original getaway car abandoned behind the former Kmart store nearby, police said.